We Must Survive
by Pikachu's Best Friend
Summary: They were outcasts. Forgotten memories of once great warriors. They were forced out of their Clan, and left to die. Now, they must come together, form a Clan, and save the forest from its darkest enemy yet. For he hides in the shadows, waiting to attack.
1. The rise of DawnClan

Light fluttered through the thin tree branches, illuminating the clearing behind them. A small she-cat opened her ice blue eyes to see the first rays of light. She sat up, and stretched her legs. Her soft, white fur was ruffled, and her right leg had a huge X shaped scar on it. She wrapped her tail neatly around her paws, and gazed at her mate, who was still sleeping. It had been a whole moon since they had left their Clans, and now they lived far away from the Clans. She sighed, walked over to her mate, and pounced on him.

"Wake up, sleepy head," she meowed.

The grayish-white tom opened his eyes and yawned. "Yes, Swiftheart?"

Swiftheart looked at him in disbelief. "Remember, you said you'd find food!" She playfully bit his tail. The tom clawed at the thin, black stripes that covered Swiftheart's tiny body.

"Come on, please, Icefang?"

Icefang reluctantly got to his feet. He shook himself to get rid of any unwanted thorns or leaves. He quietly jumped into the bushes, and Swiftheart was left alone.

She sighed to herself. _I hate being alone. _She began to remember her denmate, Starfur. He was her best friend before she left WindClan. His black pelt was covered with tiny, white dots that looked like stars. He always knew how to see the bright side of things, but there was no bright side to Swiftheart's problem. Would the endless suffering ever end?

Swiftheart sat under a tree, remembering that terrible day. She was accused of working for Darkpath, the rotten warrior with a black heart. He was the coldest cat to have ever lived! He had killed her father, Whitepelt, in cold blood. Swiftheart had promised to avenge her father's death by killing Darkpath, but now she didn't think that it was possible. Could she really kill the black and white rogue cat in cold blood?

She heard a rustling in the bushes, and saw a flash of black fur. Could it be Darkpath? The creature got closer and closer, and Swiftheart closed her eyes, waiting for it to attack her. To her surprise nothing happened. She slowly opened her eyes to see a black cat standing in front of her. His ears were a little on the short side, and his yellow eyes brought back memories of Darkpath. He had unusual, round markings on him. They looked like small circles with tiny, light purple dots in the middle. His black pelt shone in the pale dawn light.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

The cat tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Who am I? Who are you?"

"I am Swiftheart, a former WindClan warrior," she replied.

"I see. I'm Pantherpelt, a former ThunderClan warrior," he answered.

"Pantherpelt? Well, that explains those weird markings!" Swiftheart exclaimed. "Why are you here?"

"For the same reason that you're here," he meowed. "By the way, I brought a friend. She is of your Clan, but was captured by Twolegs."

A young tortoiseshell she-cat walked up behind him, making Swiftheart step back a few fox-lengths. "Don't worry, I come in peace," she assured her, smiling sweetly.

"O-okay." Swiftheart returned the smile, but it soon faded. "Why are you here? And who are you?"

The she-cat looked at Swiftheart in disbelief. "We were denmates! Remember, when we were apprentices?"

Swiftheart looked at her closely. "Dawnpaw?"

"I'm Dawnfur now," she explained.

"Oh." Swiftheart circled them, and playfully pounced on Dawnfur "Oh, how I've missed you!"

"Same here, old friend."

Pantherpelt watched the two friends play for a few heartbeats, and then he turned his gaze to a near by bush.

Swiftheart stood up, sniffing the air. A familiar scent floated to her along with the scent of a freashly-killed mouse. Icefang walked though the bushes. A mouse hung from his mouth. Icefang dropped the mouse at her feet, and growled at Dawnfur and Pantherpelt. "Who are you?!"

Pantherpelt raised his head to look at Icefang. "I am Pantherpelt, a former ThunderClan warrior," he answered.

"And I am Dawnfur. Don't you remember me? We played on the moor together!" She insisted, watching him frown.

Icefang shook his head in confusion. "Dawnpaw?"

"You remember!" Her eyes lit up, and she playfully tackled her old friend. Pantherpelt watched from a safe distance.

When Icefang got up, he glared at Pantherpelt. The black warrior held his gaze for a long moment. "What business does a ThunderClan cat have here?"

"We are outcast," he began. "Warriors that were shunned from their Clans. Forgotten memories…"

"Yes," Icefang confirmed grimly.

"Therefore, I think we should make our own Clan. A Clan that is outside of the others!" He declared.

The three cats starred at him in disbelief.

"Who will be our leader?" Swiftheart cried.

"What about a medicine cat?" Icefang asked.

"We don't have a camp!" Dawnfur protested.

"Look, StarClan came to me in a dream! They said that I should form a Clan with the outcasts! That's you, no offense," Pantherpelt watched their expressions change from confusion to outrage.

"Why should we believe in StarClan?" Icefang growled angrily. "They left us to die!"

"Why should we trust _their _warrior ancestors?" Dawnfur questioned.

Swiftheart watched them fight. She knew that Pantherpelt was right, even though she didn't want to admit it. Without a Clan, they were left for dead. But if they formed a Clan… maybe things would change?

"I had the same dream," Swiftheart said slowly. All eyes turned to her, and she continued. "Pantherpelt is right. If we are to survive this coming leaf-bare, we must create a Clan of are own!"

Pantherpelt nodded his agreement, followed by Dawnfur and Icefang. Swiftheart studied their expressions, hoping to see happiness. She couldn't read Icefang's expression, and Pantherpelt was looking at the ground. Dawnfur was smiling brightly at her friend, and Swiftheart smiled back. Their smiles soon faded when Dawnfur asked a question that was on everyone's mind: "Who is going to be Clan leader?"

Swiftheart winced at the question. Who _was _going to be leader? She glanced around the faces and raised her head. "You are going to be leader." She pointed to Dawnfur with her tail.

The tortoiseshell cat starred at Swiftheart in disbelief. "M-m-me?" She stammered.

"You were a great warrior, until Twolegs captured you. I believe that you'll be a great leader," Swiftheart meowed sweetly.

Dawnfur smiled shyly, and spoke again. "I'm not sure about this."

"I agree with Swiftheart! You were a great, loyal warrior. Please, will you be our leader?" Icefang waited for her to answer.

Dawnfur looked at them for a few heartbeats. She thought hard about this. Being leader was no easy task, and it would be hard enough to form a Clan of four cats. She thought long and hard about it, and realized that the others were watching her. Picking her words carefully, Dawnfur decided to speak. "I'm not sure about this."

"I agree with them," Pantherpelt purred. "You'll do great."

"In that case… I'll do it!" She watched as every cat smiled. She reflected their happiness by smiling too. "I'll go to the Moonstone tonight."

"But you'll have to pass through WindClan territory," Pantherpelt gasped.

"I know. I'll leave tonight, alone."

Everyone turned to look at her, gasping.

"A-alone?" Swiftheart had a worried expression on her face.

Icefang's whisker twitched twice. "Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine," she assured them.

Pantherpelt nodded, and began to speak. "Where will our camp be?"

Everyone looked around. The small clearing they were in wasn't protected. It was open space with trees surrounding it. "Here," Swiftheart declared.

"Why here?" Pantherpelt asked.

"Because it's a clearing. It will be well protected once we fix it up," she assured them.

"Where will our dens be?" Icefang asked.

"Anywhere," Dawnfur answered.

"What will our Clan name be?" Pantherpelt wondered.

"Where will our fresh-kill pile be? And the nursery? We have no apprentices!" Icefang yowled.

"So I've noticed," Swiftheart meowed.

"One question at a time," Dawnfur growled. "Our clan name will be…" She thought for a long heartbeat, running through a list of names in her head. "LightClan," she finally said.

"LightClan?" Icefang echoed. "Why?"

"Two reasons," Dawnfur answered. "First, we were outcast in the dark, and now we're a Clan. Everything should get brighter! Second, Dawn means light."

"Then why not DawnClan?" Pantherpelt argued.

Dawnfur thought for another long heartbeat. Then, she said: "DawnClan it is!"

"Great! Now all you need to do is get your new name," Swiftheart purred.

"New name?" At first Dawnfur looked confused, and the she remembered the leader's names all ended with 'star'. "Right! Then I'll be Dawnstar."

The cats cheered, happy that they might have a chance at a normal Clan life. But little did they know that a dark shadow was watching them. His round, yellow eyes seemed to hypnotize anyone, who was foolish enough to look in them. He stood in the shadows for a long time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


	2. Two new members

Everyone waited in the clearing, their ears perked, and their fur standing on end. They were all thinking the same thing: was Dawnfur going to be alright? It was the morning after she had left, and everyone was getting a bit worried. Swiftheart was worried that they wouldn't be able to defend themselves, and Pantherpelt was worried about their food supply.

Icefang strolled into the clearing with two mice in his mouth. He gently placed them by a bush. It was their fresh-kill pile, and it was next to their warriors' den. He walked up to the others, greeting them with a friendly meow. "Hi."

Swiftheart looked up, smiling. "Hi, Icefang!"

Pantherpelt didn't say anything. Her stared off into the distance, praying to StarClan that Dawnfur would be okay. He didn't notice Icefang as he approached. The grayish-white tom nudged his friend with his nose. "Hey, Pantherpelt, it's your turn to go hunting," Icefang informed him.

Pantherpelt snapped out of his trance, and nodded. He stood up just as a mouse burst through the bushes. He dropped to a crouch and silently watched his pray. It moved closer to him, unaware of its predator's presence. His pray scrambled towards him, and he killed it with one swipe of his paw. Suddenly another mouse ran through the clearing.

"What is going on?" Pantherpelt wondered, dropping into another crouch. This time his pray bumped into his left paw. The mouse looked up at him with wide, scared eyes. It tried to run away, but Pantherpelt pinned it down with his paw. Then he killed it with a quick bite to the neck.

"Look, two in one," he meowed happily, walking to the fresh-kill pile with his catches.

"But you didn't even leave the camp," Icefang muttered under his breath.

A rustling in the bushes made everyone tense. Swiftheart sniffed the air, and said: "Cat!" Everyone's ears shot up, and they unsheathed their claws. They head a high pitched voice shout: "Where did it go?!"

Pantherpelt arched his back, hissing. He smelled ShadowClan! With one huge leap he disappeared into the bushes. Swiftheart hear the other cat hissing too. She guessed that Pantherpelt was about to attack the poor cat. Before she had time to stop Pantherpelt another voice was heard. "Wait, don't hurt her! She's sick!"

Then, Pantherpelt rolled out of the bushes with a light gray tom on top of him. The tom's emerald green eyes glowed with a fierce determination to win.

A scrawny, white she-cat scrambled out of the bushes, her ocean blue eyes were wide with fear. "Hawk-eye, get off that cat!" She screamed.

Like a dog obeying its master, Hawk-eye pushed himself off of Pantherpelt. The black tom glared at them with suspicion in his eyes. "Where did you come from? Who are you?"

"I am Hawk-eye, as you already know," the gray tom said with a smirk. "I'm a former RiverClan cat. We've been watching you for a while, and we need a medicine cat. Do you know where we could find one?"

Icefang brushed past Pantherpelt, his fur standing on end. "You were spying on us?!"

Pantherpelt tried to calm his friend down with a gently nudge. "Let them explain their situation."

"Come here, Snowfoot," Hawk-eye commanded.

Snowfoot looked at him with scared eyes. Swiftheart took one look at her and guessed that she was the timid type. "Y-yes, Hawk-eye?"

The gray tom looked annoyed at her timid nature, but he managed to smile. "You know that leaf-bare is coming soon, right?"

Icefang tensed. They wanted to share food? He thought. Or maybe they want shelter? Well, he wasn't going to let these cats into _his _Clan. "Yeah, so?"

Hawk-eye glared at the stubborn cat. "So, we need shelter! My mate here," he pointed to Snowfoot with his tail. "She has some kind of sickness. Her fur doesn't get thick during the winter. It stays thin, and she almost froze to death last leaf-bare."

Anger rose inside Icefang's belly. He normally wasn't mean, but he didn't want a disease-carrying cat in his Clan. "Get out! We might catch her sickness!"

Hawk-eye arched his back. "I don't have it!"

Icefang glared at him. "That's way she almost froze to death!"

"Do you wanna fight about it?" Hawk-eye hissed in frustration.

Pantherpelt, being his usual calm, caring and dense self, decided to intervene. "Stop this senseless arguing. I don't think that Hawk-eye would leave his mate."

"You don't know him," Icefang argued.

An ear-splitting wail silenced all the angry cats. "Stop fighting! I hate fights like this! Look, it's almost leaf-bare and we need more food and members. Can't we all just get along?" Swiftheart shouted, trying to sound calm.

Pantherpelt looked at her, surprised. Icefang was surprised too. His mate had drained the anger from his body. He shook himself, and spoke again: "I'm sorry but we don't want a sick cat in our camp," he explained gently.

Snowfoot looked at the ground, and Hawk-eye licked her check. "We understand." Hawk-eye nudged his mate, and they turned to leave the camp.

"This is crazy," a familiar voice meowed.

Every cat turned to look at the tortoiseshell cat, who just padded into the clearing. Her pale green eyes glowed with newfound hope, and her tail swayed side to side with happiness. "We need new members!" She exclaimed.

"Dawnfur!" Swiftheart meowed happily, running towards her friend.

"I'm Dawn_star _now," Dawnstar corrected. She shot a sympathetic look at Hawk-eye, who glared at her. He didn't want others to pity him.

"Then it's settled," Pantherpelt said with a nod.

Icefang walked up to Dawnstar, his eyes burned with anger and fear. "But Dawnstar, that she-cat has a sickness!"

Dawnstar nodded. "I know. That is why we can't turn her down. The poor thing looks half starved."

"We've had it rough," Hawk-eye admitted. "But we're not weak, and we don't need your pity!"

"I understand." She smiled sweetly at them. "Please, tell me your names."

Hawk-eye met Dawnstar's gaze and nodded. "I am Hawk-eye, a forgotten RiverClan cat." He didn't show any disrespect for Dawnstar, but he didn't show any respect ether.

"And you are?" Dawnstar saw that the white she-cat was very nervous, so she smiled warmly at Snowfoot.

Snowfoot shifted her paws feeling very uncomfortable. With a nudge from Hawk-eye, she began to speak: "I'm Snowfoot, a ShadowClan run away."

"That Clan did you no good," Pantherpelt meowed.

Snowfoot raised her head, happy to have friends. But on the inside she was hurting. Only Hawk-eye knew what they did to her, and he felt his heart break every time he looked at her.

"I'm still not liking this but, welcome to the Clan," Icefang smiled.

Hawk-eye shot him a look of disbelief, and growled: "That's great, but I don't need _you _to welcome _me." _

Pantherpelt spoke next: "Okay guys, calm down. You're all officially DawnClan cats and we need more fresh-kill."

"Doesn't Dawnstar need to choose a deputy before moonhigh?" Snowfoot asked, her voice shaking.

"Yes. Yes I do!" Dawnstar's eyes lit up with memory. "I will name our deputy at moonhigh."

The cats cheered, but Hawk-eye was starring off into the distance. Something didn't feel right, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. But he couldn't leave Snowfoot with these strange cats. She was all he had. With eyes filled with guilt, he looked around the clearing. Memories of his old denmates filled his head as he searched for the source of this strange feeling. His muscles tightened when he saw two, round yellow eyes watching him from the shelter of a bush. Hawk-eye shook his head and they were gone. Now he was beginning to wonder if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Hawk-eye?" Snowfoot's soft, scared voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

He looked up at her. "Yes?"

"I smell something… evil?" Now she was unsure of what to call it.

"ShadowClan?" Hawk-eye asked.

"No, it's not them… it's different!" Her voice was filled with alarm, and Hawk-eye's eyes were darting around the clearing.

"What's wrong?" Pantherpelt asked.

The two cats turned to look at him. Snowfoot wasn't sure if she should share this information with her new Clan.

"Nothing," Hawk-eye said quickly.

Pantherpelt looked at him, but Hawk-eye held his gaze. "We're going to have a look over there." He pointed to a bush with his tail.

"That's the warriors' den. I guess you could look at it, if you want," he said.

Hawk-eye nodded , and began to walk towards the bush; Snowfoot followed close behind him. The bush wasn't that big, and Hawk-eye guessed that they were still fixing it. He peered into the bush, his eyes searching the darkness. Snowfoot poked her head inside the den a heartbeat later. She was sniffing the air. Once their eyes adjusted to the darkness, Snowfoot tapped Hawk-eye on the shoulder. "Look!"

Hawk-eye saw a small patch of fur in the middle of the den. Weird, he thought, walking over to it. He breathed in the unfamiliar scent of a cat. But who was it? Snowfoot walked up behind him. She picked up the patch of fur with her mouth, and sprinted out of the den. Hawk-eye followed her, looking at Dawnstar.

"Dawnstar, Dawnstar, look," Snowfoot said scared.

Dawnstar watched Snowfoot drop the patch of fur at her paws. She sniffed it curiously. Icefang and Pantherpelt surrounded her, their eyes showed confusion. Swiftheart shouldered her way through the crowd. She smelled an all too familiar scent, and she wasn't happy about it. "Do you know who this fur belongs to?" Dawnstar asked.

Swiftheart starred at the fur in disbelief. Memories of that terrible night flooded into her head. She suppressed a wail of dismay. It was _him_. She answered her leader with a low growl:

"Darkpath!"


	3. A new beginning

She slowly walked through the mist-covered field, her pale green eyes searched for an unseen exit. She knew that she was deep in the forest, but nothing looked familiar. She stopped to drink from a small pond. She saw her reflection in the water; a tortoiseshell cat was starring back at her. But this cat wasn't her. It was a different cat, with clouded eyes. This cat looked familiar but she couldn't recall its name. Was it one of her friends?

Suddenly the cat jumped out of the water, and landed in front of her. The cat shook itself to banish the water from its pelt. It stared into her eyes, and nether of them blinked for a long heartbeat.

"Who… who are you?" She asked the cat.

"I am your mother. They call me Rainstorm," the cat said.

"M-my mother?" She asked.

"Yes, Dawnstar," Rainstorm confirmed.

Dawnstar stepped back a few fox-lengths, and tilted her head to the side. "But my real mother was killed by Darkpath," she protested.

"Yes, and I've come to tell you something," Rainstorm meowed, licking her daughter's head.

"Tell me something?" Dawnstar echoed, confused.

"Yes. Beware the darkness that seeps through the leaves," she began.

Dawnstar starred at her, her eyes showing confusion, and her whiskers occasionally twitching.

"You know what I mean. Before dawn there is darkness. If you let that darkness arise, well, just wait and see."

"But what dose that mean?" Dawnstar cried in confusion.

"It means, beware the shadows, for they will cause misery and pain," Rainstorm said, disappearing into the mist.

"Wait! Don't go," Dawnstar yelled, running after her mother. The mist got thicker, and soon she had lost sight of the tortoiseshell cat. Dawnstar could no longer see the pond, because it had completely disappeared into the rising mist.

* * *

Dawnstar bumped into something small. She opened her eyes sleepily, and looked around. Yawning, she watched as her vision became clearer. She saw Swiftheart, who was named deputy last night, lying beside her mate, Icefang. She had bumped into Snowfoot, but the sleeping cat didn't stir. Hawk-eye slept on the other side of Snowfoot. The cats had decided to sleep in a circle so Snowfoot would be warm. Dawnstar felt sorry for the poor cat, who probably wasn't going to get any help from a medicine cat. She turned her head to see Pantherpelt sleeping beside her, his black tail twitching ever now and again.

She nudged the sleeping tom, who responded by whacking her in the head with his tail. Dawnstar sat up. "Is that any way to treat your leader?" She asked.

Pantherpelt opened his eyes. "Well, no. Who are you?"

Dawnstar rolled her eyes at his playfulness. She stretched, and padded out of the den. It was a nice day. The sun was out, making everything warm. Dawnstar chose a sunny spot to rest at, in the middle of the clearing. She watched their whole camp from that spot. It was an unusually quiet morning, and she noticed that Darkpath's fur still lie in the camp. Dawnstar remembered the confusion in everyone's eyes, and Swiftheart's decision to share the evil cat's story with the rest of the Clan.

She saw Swiftheart trying to wake everyone up. Icefang and Pantherpelt left the camp to go hunting, and Snowfoot shot up a tree, scared. When Swiftheart tried to wake Hawk-eye up, the gray cat claws at her face. Swiftheart jumped backwards, hissing. Dawnstar decided to intervene before someone got killed. She padded over to the den where the two cats were fighting.

"I thought she-cat deputies weren't suppose to have mates or kits!" Hawk-eye growled.

"I already told you this," Swiftheart replied calmly. "If I am going to have kits, I'll step down!"

"I still don't think it's normal," Hawk-eye responded. "We're not doing it right!"

Dawnstar decided to intervene right then. "Why should we? They abandoned us, remember?"

Hawk-eye glared at her. She may be his leader, but he wasn't going to fully respect her until she earned it. "Fine."

Just then, Pantherpelt strolled up to his leader's side, panting. "I just remember that there's a Gathering soon," he meowed.

Dawnstar starred at him for a few heartbeats, then nodded. Everyone tilted their head in confusion. They weren't really going to attend a Gathering, were they? "Dawnstar, we're not really going to go to it, are we?" Hawk-eye asked.

"Yes, we are! We must show ourselves to the other Clans, and we mustn't seem weak," she replied.

"Cool. I haven't been to a Gathering in ages," Pantherpelt admitted.

"It would be nice to join the other Clans," Icefang added, padding up to the group with a vole in his mouth.

"You when hunting? But I didn't order it," Swiftheart growled.

"I know, but you were going to," he meowed.

A rustling in the bushes told everyone to stand still. They all had the same thought: Darkpath! Hawk-eye sniffed the air. He immediately recognized the scent of his mate, Snowfoot, who must have fallen out of the tree.

"Are we really going to a Gathering?" Snowfoot asked, her eyes shinning with obvious delight.

"Yes," Dawnstar answered simply.

Snowfoot squealed like a kit. Hawk-eye wondered if she missed her Clan, but then he remembered what they did to her. He was just glad they had a new Clan. "This is going to be interesting," Hawk-eye remarked.

"Sure is," Snowfoot agreed. "I hope they finally accept me."

Hawk-eye starred at her for a long heartbeat. She wanted _them _to accept _her? _She was way better than them, but he couldn't help missing his own Clan. RiverClan was a great Clan, but he was happy to be in DawnClan. It was better then those fish-eating fools; fools that distrusted him all those moons ago. He sighed in frustration. This argument with himself was getting nowhere.

"Snowfoot, are you excited about the Gathering?" Hawk-eye questioned, breaking through the awkward silence that surrounded them.

"Yes!" She meowed happily.

"Good, me too."

Dawnstar turned to face the cats of her Clan. Seeing her move made all the cats look up. They obviously expected her to say something, and the pressure was really getting to her. After all, she had only been made leader a few sunrises ago. Summoning confidence from somewhere in her body, Dawnstar started to speak. "We're going hunting."

Swiftheart nodded. "Right. We'll split into two hunting patrols. I'll take Hawk-eye and Snowfoot, and Dawnstar will take Pantherpelt and Icefang."

"Very well, deputy," Icefang said playfully.

"Watch out, I might attack you!" She bared her fangs at him, and then turned to exit the camp. Hawk-eye followed her quietly. He kept turning around every few seconds to make sure Snowfoot was still there.

They walked out of the comfort of the clearing and into the forest. The undergrowth made it almost look like it was nighttime. Leaves twirled to the ground, landing with grace on the wet forest floor. A leaf flew past Snowfoot's nose, and she sneezed.

Swiftheart's ears perked up, and she spun around. Snowfoot flinched under her deputy's gaze. They starred at each other for one long heartbeat, until Swiftheart realized her mistake. All this talk of Darkpath was getting to her. "I'm sorry, Snowfoot," she apologized.

Snowfoot nodded, afraid of getting glared at again. She moved closer to Hawk-eye, and her mate welcomed her with a gentle lick.

Swiftheart growled angrily. Hawk-eye was usually bitter to everyone, but he had a soft spot for his mate. _Well, he should at least try to be more respectful to Dawnstar, _Swiftheart thought. "Come on; let's continue."

They walked onward for a few fox-lengths, and silence fell over the group. Swiftheart tasted the air, hoping to smell pray-scent. She picked up something! It was a… rabbit. Dropping into a crouch, Swiftheart waited for the rabbit to show itself. She waited for a while and the rabbit didn't come. Realizing that it must be in its nest, Swiftheart sprang into the bush. It shook violently for a few heartbeats, and then everything was still. Swiftheart walked out of the bush with the rabbit in her jaws.

"Good catch!" Snowfoot praised.

Hawk-eye looked unimpressed. "Whatever."

Swiftheart nodded to them, and they continued hunting.

* * *

They patiently waited for their leader back in the clearing. They had each caught a lot of prey; Swiftheart caught a mouse after the rabbit; Snowfoot caught a pigion and two mice; Hawk-eye caught a vole and a mouse. Their fresh-kill pile was growing, and every cat was happy that normal Clan life had returned to them. But where was their leader?

The sun was setting now, and everyone was still waiting for signs of their leader, or her patrol. Swiftheart could have sworn she head an eerie yowl, but she didn't want to alarm Snowfoot. _That she-cat is more afraid of leaves than a newborn kit is afraid of fighting, _Swiftheart thought, sighing in frustration. Now she was starting to wonder if their leader's patrol was attack by another patrol… or Darkpath. Swiftheart shuddered at that thought. Maybe they were still hunting? _Yeah, that's it!_ She assured herself, hoping she was right.


	4. DawnClan's first Gathering

The sky was dark when he entered an unfamiliar part of the forest. He could smell the normal Clan cats, but another sent lingered around them. It was a scent he was unfamiliar with. He lashed his tail in frustration, his whiskers twitching with every new step he took. He could now smell a WindClan cat. It came from behind him. He didn't bother to turn around; he just kept walking down the dark trail. The moonlight shone on his orange pelt, and his fur glowed like fire. Yep, he was defiantly a FireClan cat.

A dark shape watched him from a distance. He could smell the evil within this strange cat. Arching his back, he began to hiss at it. The cat merely waved his tail in greeting. Was it a friendly greeting?

"Foxfur, so good to see you again," the cat meowed.

Foxfur stepped back. How did this strange cat know his name? Who was he? Foxfur sniffed the air for a familiar scent, but all he could smell was WindClan. "Who are you? How do you know me?"

The cat stared at him blankly. Then his whisker twitched. "You don't remember me? I attack FireClan all by myself. I'm Darkpath."

Foxfur froze. This was Darkpath? The one who killed his apprentice? Then he must die! Without another thought, Foxfur lunged at the talking tom. Darkpath shook his head in disappointment. He stepped out of the way, and Foxfur smashed into an unseen tree.

"I did not come here for a fight," the black tom meowed.

Foxfur stood up. "You. I'll never forgive you for killing Ragepaw! He would have been a great medicine cat," Foxfur sighed. He was not a fighter. That's why he chose to be a medicine cat… fighting was never his thing.

"Well, I have something to show you." Darkpath pulled "Would you like to save Ragepaw's sister?" Dawkpath pulled a she-cat out of the darkness, her eyes wide with terror.

"Amberpaw!" Foxfur yowled in alarm.

The pale orange she-cat wailed pitifully. "Help me, Foxfur!"

"How dare you steal her from FireClan!"

"I didn't steal her," Darkpath assured him. "They followed you."

Foxfur tilted his head to the side. "They?"

Darkpath pushed a light brown she-cat out of the darkness.

"Birdpaw, why did you follow me?"

"We wanted to come with you," Birdpaw answered.

Darkpath through Amberpaw to the ground. She squeaked in pain, and Foxfur growled in anger.

The bushes beside them rustled. A tortoiseshell cat jumped out from the safety of the bushes. Darkpath looked at her. "Who are you? Dawnfur?"

"I'm Dawn_star_ now." She gave a signal with her tail, and two other cats jumped out of the bushes. "Icefang, Pantherpelt, save those apprentices'!"

Darkpath was outnumber, but he still decided to fight. Unsheathing his claws, Darkpath jumped into battle. He was nipped on the ear by Pantherpelt, and then scratched on the face by Icefang. However, he managed to swipe Icefang's tail, making it bleed. These cats were too fast... he had to do something.

"Ready to give up?" Dawnstar asked.

Darkpath took one look at all the cats, and fled into the forest. Dawnstar turned to Foxfur, who was shielding the apprentices' from them. "Who are you?"

"I am Dawnstar, leader of DawnClan," she replied. "Do you have any where to go?"

"No. I left FireClan because Blazingstar was doing something against the will of StarClan," Foxfur replied. "And these apprentices' followed me."

"Very well. You may join our Clan, if you want. We need a medicine cat," Dawnstar meowed thoughtfully.

Foxfur's eyes glowed with happiness. "Really? I'll be happy to join!"

* * *

It was getting late and Dawnstar was still gone. Swiftheart was starting to worry. _What could be keeping them? _She searched her mind for an answer but came up with nothing. Sighing, she decided to wait a little while longer. If they didn't return soon, she'd have to order a search and rescue mission.

Everyone jumped when the bushes started moving. Swiftheart scented some strange cats. Who were they? Dawnstar, Icefang, and Pantherpelt strolled out of the bushes. An orange tom, a light brown she-cat, and a pale orange she-cat followed them. Swiftheart ran up to her leader. "Who are these cats?"

Dawnstar flicked her toward the orange tom. "This is Foxfur. He'll be our medicine cat." She nodded towards the pale orange she-cat. "That is Amberpaw, Swiftheart, you will mentor her."

Swiftheart nodded happily. "Really? I get an apprentice? Cool!" She walked over to the scared she-cat and touched noises with her.

"Hello, Swiftheart?"

"That's my name. And you're Amberpaw?"

The pale orange she-cat nodded shyly. "I'm happy to be here."

Dawnstar flicked her tail toward the light brown she-cat. "This is Birdpaw. Pantherpelt, will you mentor her?"

Pantherpelt nodded. "Sure." He touched noses with Birdpaw, and stepped backwards. "Nice to meet you, Birdpaw."

Birdpaw nodded enthusiastically. "I want to be the best warrior ever!"

"You will be," Pantherpelt assured her.

"So, what Clan did you come from?" Hawk-eye asked Foxfur.

"FireClan," he replied simply.

Hawk-eye tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What's FireClan?"

Foxfur, Amberpaw, and Birdpaw starred at them in disbelief. "You don't know what FireClan is?" Birdpaw asked.

Hawk-eye shook his head. "Nope, sorry."

Foxfur's tail twitched in amusement. "FireClan is the Clan that is trying to rule the forest."

"But no Clan can rule the forest!" Snowfoot protested.

"That is where you're wrong. I left Blazingstar because he was trying to rule the forest," Foxfur explained.

Dawnstar shook her head. "I've heard about them, so we'd better be careful."

Icefang padded up to his leader. "The Gathering," he reminded her.

"Oh, right! Come one DawnClan, we've got a Gathering to go to."

Dawnstar led her Clan out of their camp and towards Fourtrees. She was in the lead, with Pantherpelt close behind. Birdpaw was taking in the sights of her new territory. It was so different, yet it was claming. Did that mean that her place in the forest was here? Yeah, that was defiantly it! She shivered in the cold leaf-fall air. Soon it would be leaf-bare, and that's when the problems start. She made a promise to herself... that she would catch a lot of prey, and be the best warrior ever! That was her dream, and soon it would be a reality. At least, she hoped it would be reality. _No matter what, I'll be the greatest warrior ever! Then the Clan will respect me, and maybe I could be leader one day,_ she thought happily.

Swiftheart followed Pantherpelt through the trees, with Amberpaw at her side. The apprentice was so excited that she could hardly run strange. Her first Gathering as a DawnClan apprentice! A feeling of pride overwhelmed her. She was happy that she got away from Blazingstar. What he was doing was wrong, and Amberpaw didn't want to be apart of it. Her fur bristled at the thought of seeing Blazingstar at the gathering. How dare her try to rule the forest?! What would happen when he found out about DawnClan? Amberpaw hoped that FireClan wouldn't show up, but deep in her heart she knew they would.

"Amberpaw," Swiftheart whispered.

Amberpaw looked up at her mentor. "Yes?"

"Isn't this exciting? It will be DawnClan's first Gathering," she said happily.

"Yeah, I know. I'm excited but scared at the same time. I don't want to see Blazingstar."

"Don't worry, I won't let him get you," Swiftheart assured her.

Amberpaw nodded. She couldn't shake this foreboding feeling that arose in her stomach. What if Blazingstar stared something at this Gathering? Well, if he did, they were just going to have to stop him.

Hawk-eye stayed close to Snowfoot. He wouldn't let Blackstar hurt her again. No, he would fight him to the death before that happened. Hawk-eye narrowed his eyes against the leaf-fall wind. He hoped that this leaf-bare wouldn't be as brutal as the last one.

Foxfur, who was last in line, couldn't help feeling a bit scared. What would Blazingstar say when he arrives at the Gathering with DawnClan. He'd probably call him a traitor, but would he try to attack Dawnstar? No, he couldn't think something like that! He was a loyal DawnClan medicine cat, and that's what he'd always be. Pushing his thoughts away, Foxfur sped up to run beside Hawk-eye and Snowfoot._ Besides, _he told himself, _we have to meet in peace at Gatherings._

Soon all the cats had stopped at a bush. Fourtrees was right in front of them, and Swiftheart gulped. How would this Gathering go? She watched Dawnstar, who was starring at Firestar, Tallstar and Blackstar. Where was Blazingstar? Dawnstar flicked her tail, and her Clan raced towards Fourtrees.

Dawnstar headed for the Great Rock. Firestar jumped off the Great Rock to greet her. "Hello. Who are you?" He asked.

"I am Dawnstar, leader of DawnClan," she replied.

"A new Clan? What's that about?" Firestar wondered.

"You'll find out when the Gathering starts." With a farewell meow, Dawnstar leaped up to the Great Rock, passing Tallstar and Blackstar to sit down.

"Who is that?" Tallstar questioned.

"I don't know," Blackstar growled. "I didn't hear of Blazingstar's death."

"Blazingstar isn't dead," Dawnstar meowed. "I am the leader of DawnClan."

"DawnClan?" Blackstar asked. "But there has always been five Clans!"

"I know, but I am Dawnstar, leader of DawnClan," Dawnstar replied annoyed.

"Whatever," Blackstar muttered.

Swiftheart was chatting with Russetfur at the foot of the Great Rock. "So, you're deputy of ShadowClan? Cool!"

"I suppose it is," Russetfur agreed. "And you are?"

"Swiftheart, deputy of DawnClan."

Russetfur tilted her head to the side, but said nothing more. Swiftheart just sat there, scanning the area for signs of Icefang.

Pantherpelt was watching Birdpaw from a distance. The young apprentice was talking to a TunderClan apprentice.

"Bramblepaw, huh? Cool name!"

Bramblepaw looked at his paws. "Thanks!"

Amberpaw was sitting next to a group of WindClan apprentices. They all seemed excited to here about DawnClan.

Icefang was at the edge of the clearing. He was watching the FireClan cats approach Fourtrees. Blazingstar was in the lead. His red-brown fur was hard to miss. A FireClan cat stopped next to Icefang. He was orange with a white stomach. "Hello. I am Flamefur, and you are?"

"I'm Icefang, a DawnClan cat," he replied.

"Very nice to meet you."

Foxfur watched his old leader, Blazingstar, approach him. "Hello," he meowed with interest.

Foxfur gave him a confused look. "I'm a DawnClan cat now," he explained. "I will no longer be your medicine cat!"

"Traitor," Blazingstar muttered, walking towards the Great Rock.

Hawk-eye watched as the RiverClan cats poured into the clearing. He saw Blackwater among them. "Blackwater!" He meowed.

The black she-cat looked at him in confusion. She padded over to him slowly. "Yes?"

"It's me, Hawk-eye, remember?" Hawk-eye meowed.

"Oh, yes! My son, you're alive," Blackwater exclaimed, licking his face.

"Mom," Hawk-eye meowed in embarrassment. "This is my mate, Snowfoot." He flicked his tail towards the scrawny, white she-cat.

"Nice to meet you," Snowfoot meowed.

"You too," Blackwater agreed. She looked behind her to see Leopardstar behind her. "I'd better go." She licked her son one last time. "I hope to see you at the next Gathering," she meowed, turning towards Snowfoot. "Nice meeting you, Snowfoot. May StarClan grant you both good health." Blackwater looked at her son again. She missed him, but he had a new home now… he was no longer a RiverClan cat. Sighing, she went to join the other RiverClan cats.

"Leopardstar," Hawk-eye growled.

"Hawk-eye," she muttered, walking toward the Great Rock.

Blackstar spotted Snowfoot and waved his tail in greeting. "Hello, Snowfoot." The white she-cat looked at her paws, unable to meet her old leader's gaze.

"You stay away from her," Hawk-eye growled.

Blackstar glared at him but said nothing. It would be pointless to get into a fight with a cat from another Clan.

"It is time to start the Gathering," Leopardstar meowed.

Blackstar nodded in agreement. He yowled to silence the cats that attended the Gathering, and Firestar stepped to the front of the Great Rock. "Today we have a new leader and Clan joining us. Dawnstar, you can speak first." Firestar nodded at Dawnstar, and the tortoiseshell cat walked up to the front of the Great Rock.

"Hello everyone. I am Dawnstar, leader of DawnClan." Gasps erupted from the gathered cats. "Yes, I know, but please don't be alarmed. If these leaders wouldn't have banished us, we wouldn't have created DawnClan. After all, we needed to survive too."

"But I didn't banish you," Firestar argued.

"I never said you did," Dawnstar replied. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"Anyways, I have great, loyal warriors with me," she said. "Swiftheart, my deputy, is among them."

Swiftheart rose her head proudly, and Dawnstar continued. "Hawk-eye, Snowfoot, Pantherpelt and Icefang are all great! I couldn't ask for better warriors. We have a new medicine cat too. Foxfur just joined us earlier."

Meows of surprise arose from the FireClan cats, while Dawnstar began to speak again. "We also have two new apprentices! Birdpaw and Amberpaw, welcome to DawnClan."

Blazingstar brushed past Dawnstar. "Cats of this Gathering, DawnClan have stolen our medicine cat and two apprentices."

"I have not been stolen," Foxfur argued. "I did not approve of what you were doing, so I left!"

"And we followed him," Birdpaw added.

"Because you were tricked," Blazingstar corrected.

"Not true!" Amberpaw cried.

"You don't know what those evil DawnClan cats are capable of," Blazingstar growled.

"We're not evil," Dawnstar protested.

"Then why did you steal cats from me?"

"I didn't steal them from you, I don't even know you! They joined my Clan of their own free will," Dawnstar growled.

"Liar!" Blazingstar lunged at Dawnstar, pinning her to the Great Rock.

"They're traitors," Leopardstar meowed.

"I agree," Blackstar muttered.

Swiftheart jumped toward the Great Rock. "Get off Dawnstar!" She jumped onto Blazingstar's back.

Flamefur, FireClan's deputy, clawed at Swiftheart's legs. "Get off my leader!"

"No!" Swiftheart yowled.

"Stop it, Blazingstar," Firestar growled.

All the FireClan cats turned towards the DawnClan cats. A huge, black tom pounced on Snowfoot. The scrawny, white she-cat yelped in pain. Hawk-eye bit the tom's tail, but he was pulled back by a brown she-cat. She lashed her unsheathed claws at his legs. Hawk-eye jumped out of the way and pinned her down.

"This is crazy!" Tallstar exclaimed.

All the RiverClan and ShadowClan cats formed a circled around the fighting DawnClan and FireClan cats. While the WindClan and ThunderClan cats looked at all the other Clans in horror.

Pantherpelt and Birdpaw were fighting a huge, orange tom, and Icefang was fighting a gray she-cat. She had him pinned down until Amberpaw bit her tail. The she-cat yowled in rage, and attacked Amberpaw. Icefang stood up and shook all the blood off of him. The he raced over to where Amberpaw was fighting the she-cat.

Snowfoot struggled under the black tom's weight, but she couldn't get free. It was getting hard for her to breathe, and soon she was gasping for air. Hawk-eye sprinted towards her, and jumped on the black tom's back. He yowled in surprise, and ran for the cover of the bushes. Hawk-eye crouched down by Snowfoot. She wasn't moving, so he gently nudged her shoulder. She still didn't move, and Hawk-eye started to lick her face. "Come on, Snowfoot, wake up!" He started licking her faster, and pantherpelt watched from afar.

Blackwater pushed her way through the crowed, and stopped by her son and his mate. She watched him lick Snowfoot for a long time, but the white she-cat still didn't move. Hawk-eye gave up and buried his head in her soft, white fur.

"Hawk-eye?" Blackwater nudged her son gently. Realizing that he wasn't going to move, Blackwater placed her ear on Snowfoot's side. She listened for a long moment, and stood up. "Hawk-eye, she's alive."

Hawk-eye sat up and licked his mate once more, and this time she opened her eyes. "Are we still fighting?"

"Unfortunately," he replied.

Suddenly the clearing got very dark. Every cat looked up at the sky, his or her hearts started pounded wildly. Many black clouds were covering the moon. No light escaped through them, so it was almost impossible to see.

"StarClan is angry with us," Foxfur muttered.

"Enough!" Firestar yowled. "This Gathering is over by the will of StarClan!"

Blazingstar reluctantly crawled off of Dawnstar, and the tortoiseshell cat jumped down to her deputy, Swiftheart.

"Come on," she meowed angrily. "We're leaving."

All the cats followed her, and Amberpaw ran up to Swiftheart. "Man, was that scary or what?"

Swiftheart sighed. "I think we're in trouble."

Blackwater said good-bye to her son, Hawk-eye, again. "I'll miss you. Please come to the next Gathering."

"I'll try," Hawk-eye replied, nudging his mate out of the clearing.

Blackwater sighed. It was hard to be separated from your kit, but she was happy that Hawk-eye had found a new Clan and a good mate. She watched him leave the clearing with his Clan, and then she turned around to find her Clan.


End file.
